For the novel, please go to Kayoko Kotohiki (Novel). For the manga, please go to Kayoko Kotohiki (Manga).
Kayoko Kotohiki (琴弾 加代子, Kotohiki Kayoko) is a minor character in Battle Royale.
Backstory[]
Nothing is known about Kayoko's backstory.
Friends and Enemies
Kayoko may have been friends with Fumiyo Fujiyoshi (as they were sitting next to each other on the bus) and Takako Chigusa. She may have been friends with Izumi Kanai as they are seen hugging each other when Shinji Mimura speaks with Kitano. Takako's best friend Hiroki Sugimura was in love with Kayoko however she was unaware of this.
Before the Program[]
Before Kitano resigned, Class B decided to take a day off and skip school, Kayoko included; she attended the basketball game against Class A, and celebrated when Class B won. Kayoko decided to go on the class trip; while on the bus, she pored over a catalog with Fumiyo and chatted with Takako. Kayoko fell asleep after breathing in a sleeping gas pumped into the bus; she was then transported to an island and fitted with an explosive collar.
Kayoko, along with the rest of the class, woke up in a classroom in the island’s school. Unnerved by the presence of Shogo Kawada and Kazuo Kiriyama, Kayoko rushed over to the window to watch a helicopter land in front of the school. Kayoko was shocked to see that Kitano had returned. When Kitano asked the class if they knew the BR Act law, Kayoko kept quiet, obviously knowing the law, but afraid to say it aloud. Kayoko was horrified upon seeing Masao Hayashida's corpse. When Fumiyo Fujiyoshi was killed, Kayoko panicked and ran for the door trying to escape before running towards the back of the classroom when the soldiers began firing. When Yoshitoki Kuninobu's collar got activated, Kayoko ran around the room trying to evade him.
When Kayoko's name was called, she grabbed her school bag and ran towards the front of the room; she caught her supply bag and ran out of the school.
During the Program[]
Kayoko's dead body
Kayoko had spent much of the game hiding, and had, as yet, avoided confrontation. Unbeknownst to her, Hiroki had spent most of the game searching for her to tell her he loved her. When Hiroki eventually found her and yelled at her to show herself, Kayoko panicked, thinking he was trying to kill her and shot him until her gun was empty. As Hiroki died, he told her how he felt about her, and he warned her to run because someone would be attracted to the gunshots. As Kayoko began to break down and start crying, Hiroki called her cute and that he deeply loved her. Kayoko felt horrible after what she had done to him, and asked why didn't he say anything sooner. Crying over his death, she then asks what she is supposed to do now. Mitsuko Souma then appears, calmly tells her to die in response to Kayoko's words and shoots her in the heart, causing her body to sprawl over Hiroki's.
Etymology[]
- The name Kayoko means "add, increase" (加) (ka), "generation" (代) (yo) and "child" (子) (ko).
- Kayoko's surname Kotohiki means "Japanese harp" (琴) (koto) and "bullet, shot, shell" (弾) (hiki).
Notes and Trivia[]
- She is one of three girls in the program to kill a boy. The other two were Mitsuko Souma and Takako Chigusa. Kotohiki, however is the only one to regret doing so.
- In this adaptation, Kayoko is the last character introduced to the viewers and the second last girl to die (the last one was Mitsuko).